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Resource Kit
Evolve a PHIN CoP
Maintain Momentum
A significant challenge faced by evolving communities is the ability to sustain momentum. There tend to be natural shifts in the CoP’s practice, members, technology, and relationship to the PHIN Community as the CoP develops. When key members are unavailable, less active members must step in and assume greater responsibility to maintain momentum. For this to occur, it may be necessary to attract new people to the core group. Over time, the community must take steps to maintain energy and may want to implement these strategies to rejuvenate the community:
- Host a renewal workshop.
- Review documents and materials from the CoP’s early existence.
- Target new members from groups that do not yet have strong representation.
- Invite guest speakers or lecturers to talk about their work or innovations in a particular field1.
A Time for Change
It is important to understand the Communities of Practice life-cycle and its five phases: Potential, Coalescing, Maturation, Sustaining, and Transformation.
In the Potential phase, a problem or project is identified that would best be solved jointly by colleagues from different departments, parts of an organization, or perhaps different organizations. This is a time of imagination and discovery as the ground work is laid for formation of a new CoP. Members discover commonalities and find one another at this time.1, Once the group has formed and the kickoff meeting has occurred, the work of the community will be further refined.
During the Coalescing phase, new ideas incubate, and the value the CoP will offer to PHIN is further defined. This is a vital time for group members to come together for a common goal and understanding of the true nature of the work of the CoP. 1,24
During the Potential or Coalescing phases, potential members may also discover that it may not be the right time to launch a new PHIN CoP. Developing a successful CoP is a delicate balance of many different factors. Even when careful consideration has been given to key success factors such as leadership, membership, and the domain, a new PHIN Community simply may not thrive.
When this happens, potential leaders and members should not feel that they have failed. Although research and experience indicate that a community of practice can be an ideal way to produce results for a network, collaborative, or organization such as PHIN, we can also learn from early ventures that some communities simply may not take root and thrive. Remember to stay engaged with the PHIN CoP Program by:
Participating in other PHIN CoPs. As existing communities continue to grow, the network of PHIN CoPs is becoming a marketplace where knowledge and experience are shared and new knowledge, skills, and interests develop. As your network of relationships continues to grow and be strengthened, and new connections are made, you may find another opportunity to launch the community you had originally conceived. You might find that changes within a domain enable a better defined focus and scope for the PHIN CoP you had envisioned. Timing for launch of a CoP can be critical, and participation in the network of PHIN CoPs can help you identify that timing
Engaging with the PHIN CoP Council. It is likely that unrecognized barriers were in place at the time you sought to launch the CoP. Perhaps the domain was a new area of public health informatics and not yet understood enough to take hold, perhaps there was domain overlap with another CoP, perhaps there was an immediate need to focus attention on a different PHIN domain, or perhaps there were not enough resources to support a new PHIN CoP adequately. Debriefing with the PHIN CoP Advisory Council may be one way to understand why the planned domain was not the best fit at the time. By identifying the barriers to formation, you may be able to ensure that there are steps in place to address those barriers when you are involved in forming a CoP in the future.
Engaging with Other Members. Don’t forget to keep your relationships with initial core members alive. By participating in conversations where multiple members interpret the process, you may be able to develop a potential future orientation. You may want to try interviewing one another or having a findings meeting to discuss what worked well and what would have worked better. Whatever your findings, processing the shared experience can also result in shared knowledge. Each participant may be able to develop a better sense of the whole situation by using a conversational process to simplify and focus on what is important.
In the Maturation phase, the work of the group is undertaken in earnest, the focus of the group is further defined, and the membership is expanded to include new members with the expertise and interest to do the work of the CoP. Members engage in developing a practice and joint activities. Artifacts such as a knowledge repository made up of edited notes on community meetings, data bases, relevant articles, books, cases and other resources are created during this phase.1,24 Roles may change during the maturation phase as old members transition out of the community and new members join the effort. Maintaining and expanding focus are key elements of this phase.
The level of energy and the vitality of the CoP are greatest during the Sustaining phase. The work of the community will be well underway and set milestones will be realized. CoP members will adopt an attitude of openness toward the work of the community and assume ownership for the tasks and projects underway.
During the Transformation phase, the CoP experiences major shifts in its organization and focus. One CoP may break apart and reorganize. Another CoP may undergo a split or merge with another CoP. During transformation, the primary objectives and goals that formed the CoP have been achieved and members may begin to let go and start to remember where the group has been and what has been accomplished. 1,24 A CoP might find there are different interests represented and choose to diversify those interests into new and separate CoPs, or may choose to align with another CoP with similar interests. Occasionally, when the work of a CoP has been achieved the group is dissolved. This is a very normal part of the CoP lifecycle.
In essence, the Community of Practice has done its job, and now it is time to move forward. This the time when members let go and define their legacy. When a CoP has been successful, members often want to continue to be engaged even if the group’s work has been completed. Leaders of the PHIN CoP can support members by:
Helping them let go. It is natural to want to hold onto a good thing. Members who can feel confident about their achievements and recognize opportunities to participate in other communities are likely to be more successful with the transformation process. Encourage your members to join and participate in other PHIN CoPs.
Facilitating the storytelling process. The storytelling process is useful in the early phases of a community, and it also can be a vital tool in helping members and other stakeholders remember the critical and historical value of a community that is ready to disolve. Refer to the "Tell Your Community’s Stories" section to help with this process.
Celebrating and communicating successes. While celebrating successes early and often is encouraged, a final celebration of the PHIN CoP’s success is also a valuable idea. You may consider developing a final Success Story to outline the overall accomplishments and contributions of the community. You might also consider have a celebration dinner or on-line awards ceremony. Members should be recognized for the valuable work they have done individually and collectively.
Ensuring that artifacts are preserved. You can help the work of the community live on by maintaining a space where the community artifacts can be housed and ensuring that members have access to those artifacts. Equally important, you can work to ensure that members can maintain their relationships with one another by planning periodic reunions and ensuring that databases are accessible.
The following table provides an overview of resources to increase and maintain momentum within your CoP. Each resource described is located in the Resources section.
| Related Resource | Description | Audience |
| Storytelling Template | Your CoP can start to tell stories from its inception. You can use this Microsoft Word template to structure storytelling activities and as means to gather information and document best practices/lessons learned from the community. |
Members of PHIN Communities of Practice (CoPs) who are interested in sharing stories and creating Success Stories |
| Innovation Tracking Tool | Complete the Innovation form for each new idea, product, or improvement that your CoP develops. Incorporate these in your annual review of accomplishments and also use them as a pool from which to draw ideas for articles and abstracts. This Microsoft Word template provides a means to record and track innovations that emerge from PHIN CoPs. |
Members of PHIN Communities of Practice (CoPs) who are working in work groups to develop or improve products or processes |
Contact Us:
- Communities of Practice Program
- Public Health Information Network (PHIN)
- National Center for Public Health Informatics
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Atlanta, Georgia 30345
- 404-498-6455
- PHIN@cdc.gov
